Post navigation

This week, I’m playing along with the latest sketch from Freshly Made Sketches, #FMS371

I guess we loved the laser cut paper pack in the Annual catalogue so much, Stampin’ Up! thought we could use some more. So here I have used the new Beautifully Detailed Laser Cut paper pack from the Occasions Catalogue.

I really enjoy working with this type of paper, even though it can be a little tricky to handle, so I thought I’d share with you how I used here, on this card….

Here, I have started with a Basic Gray cardbase layer and I’ve used the Beautifully Detailed laser cut paper to layer over the base. The paper comes in Whisper White on one side and Petal Pink on the reverse. I’ve kept to the white for a clean look.

To make handling this type of paper easier, I try to handle it as little as possible. So for this card, it was a little easier to just lay the paper flat on my desk with the pink side facing up. I applied adhesive and then placed my card base down onto the designer paper. I pressed down to ensure it stuck well.

After a few minutes, I carefully lifted the cardstock and laser cut paper, turning it over to reveal the front. Then I simply snipped off the paper, using my cardbase as the guide.

Next, I set about decorating the front. I used a stip of that amazing Lovely Lipstick foil sheets, from the Sale-a-Bration catalogue. I topped this with a square piece of Whisper White cardstock and using the Detailed Trio punch, I rounded the corners and punched a decorative element to just one of them.

I finished off with a simple “hello” sentiment from the Floral Frames stamp set, which I punched used the circle die from the Stitched Label Frames framelits.

Caseing The Catty team are hopping with more Sale-a-Bration ideas this week. Welcome if you are joining me from Rachel or if you are starting here with me.

This week I took inspiration from this card on page 10 of the Sale-a-Bration catalogue.

In the catalogue, this picture is only tiny and you only see a small section of the card, but my inspiration came from liking the layout. I love the simplicity and how clean it is even with all the leaves detail on the side there. I didn’t have all those exact dies, but I love how you can substitute with what you have to create a similar look. Here is where my card finished up…

I went with a cardbase in Highland Heather, really loving the new shades of purple in the colour collections. On top, I layered some Designer Series Paper from the Subtles 6×6 pack, in Highland Heather to coordinate.

My decorative elements are leaves from the Foliage Frames Framelits set in Tranquil Tide and Soft Seafoam cardstock. The sentiment is from the Forever Lovely stamp set, new in the Occasions catalogue, and is stamped in Tranquil Tide ink. I have punched it out using the largest of the dies from the Stitched Labels Framelits, and finished off with a little of the Whisper White Sheer Ribbon tied in a simple bow.

Welcome to Caseing The Catty blog hop this week where we take our first look, draw our first inspiration, from the first suite in the Occasions catalogue – the All My Love Suite, pages 4 to 9.

You may have hopped over from Michelle or starting the hop here with me, either way welcome and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the hop. Don’t forget to load up your projects, with this theme, to our Facebook challenge group to inspire us all.

So, this week, I kind of went with a different line of inspiration…. In looking at the ideas and at the products in these pages, another idea hit me altogether. Focussing on the Forever Lovely bundle, I wanted to use those gorgeous roses edgelits from the Lovely Flowers Edgelit die set to make a window. Here is the finished card….

I cut two of the edgelits around the card front and then used my paper snips to trim the middle excess cardstock out to create the window… here is what the card front looked like before I did anything else with it.

I just had to use some of that gorgeous awesome Lovely Lipstick foil sheets, in the window. So I cut a card front size piece and used Tear and Tape to stick it in.

Then I set about decorating the front and covering the snipped sections between the two die cuts. I stamped a lovely rose in Grapefruit Grove. The stamp set is a DistINKtive type, so it has that lovely varying tone when stamped. I added some foliage in Soft Seafoam and Granny Apple Green cardstock.

I wanted to try something a little different with the other end… there is a corner piece thinlit die in the set which you can use to decorate a corner of an element. Here I used it to help cover the snipped section which tied in well with the designed.

I then added the sentiment – punched a label from the Petals and More thinlit dies, stamped a punched Birthday Wishes and layered over the top. Then I added some die cut flowers from the die set and topped it all off with some Artisan Pearls.

I love this time of year and this week at Caseing The Catty we are drawing inspiration from the Sale-a-Bration Catalogue. Welcome if you have joined me here or if you have hopped over from one of our new Crew members, Lauren!

Sale-a-bration is a promotion that Stampin’ Up! run once a year and it’s when customers earn free products based on their spending or when they host a party or join the team – more information is here.

Today, I’m drawing inspiration from this Blue card… it’s on Page 14 of the SAB catalogue, and using the featured stamp set, Part of my Story.

I just loved this stamp and thought it was perfect to kick off Caseing The Catty with this year. So many people inspire us each day and don’t know that their actions have such an impact, like…. Stampin’ Up!’s concept designers who bring us the amazing samples in our catalogue several times a year; or like my sister-in-law who is changing her families eating habbits upside down to include less sugar, packaged and processed foods and eating whole foods for a healthier lifestyle; or like my best friend and the way she is raising her three gorgeous girls in to the amazing young ladies they becoming. They are all going about their day doing their thing which I find so inspiring.

I started by almost recreating the card as I see it.

Crumb Cake base card, with two layers of designer paper and the punched sentiment over the top. I did add a layer of cardstock to the base of the designer paper. This card design would be great for those times where we are short on time and need to whip up something.

Thanks to our extremely hot weather late last week, I had a little more time and stayed indoors a lot more! So, I had a little extra crafting time and I added a couple of extra layers.

Again starting with the Crumb Cake cardbase, I added a layer of Daffodil Delight cardstock beneath the Gingham Gala designer series paper. I love the double-sided checked pattern in this pack and today, opted for the larger check. Layering these together flat, I used dimensionals to fix to the base card.

I used some In Colour designer paper in Blueberry Bushel to contrast. Deciding to frame the sentiment, I settled on one from the Foliage Frame die set in Crumb Cake cardstock to match the base. I had a spare circle shape floating about, so I thought I’d put that to use. I first punched a 2” circle from the circle shape, leaving a frame, which I tucked behind the Foliage die. Then I layered the punched circle inside and overlayed the sentiment. This I stamped in Blueberry Bushel ink on some Daffodil Delight cardstock and punched using the Tailored Tag punch.

A card design for when you have a few extra minutes and some extra supplies.

New toys time… I’ve been playing with some of the new butterflies stamps and punches from the Occasions catalogue for the ESAD blop hop today.

Welcome if you have just joined me from Sharon Dalton or if you are starting here with me today. There is more information on what ESAD is at the bottom of this post.

There are quite a few new stamps, dies and punches, as well as some coordinating Sale-a-bration items, that are butterfly themed this catalogue. I love how they are different and fit together with some of my existing butterfly collection to work together nicely. Today, I’m featuring the Butterfly Gala bundle, a stamp and punch set. This is from the Gingham Gala Suite.

One thing I noticed when I opened the Butterfly Gala stamp set, is the way the stamps are configured. The large and small one are created together to match the punch. So you stamp and punch once to get both size of butterfly. I thought that was really clever.

So on to the card I made for today…

The front features a simple stamp for the sentiment, which I then cut down the cardstock to the shape I wanted. I layered this over some ribbon and some of that gorgeous butterfly designer paper, which is a Sale-a-Bration free item. The paper features wonderful variations of butterfly designs and simple patterns on the other, making it very versatile. Today, I went with the Black gingham designs (I love gingham just quietly!).

And this is what I did with the inside…

Normally I don’t decorate the inside quite so much, but I just loved this fancy-fold design and I thought the butterflies would look great on it.

I decided to do something a little different… rather than stamp coloured images, I went with Black embossing to go with the black gingham paper. I chose brightly coloured cardstock so they would pop against the black check pattern.

I teamed up the butterflies with sentiments from the Itty Bitty Birthday stamp set. I chose ones that kind of rhymed for a bit of fun!

Hope this inspires you’re creativity with fancy-folds or these fun butterflies. Next up in the hop is the amazing Sharni Haines.

I’m always so excited on this day… Today the Occasions catalogue goes live. We have a new set of wonderful and amazing well thought out products to play with… and I’m really having a tough time choosing a favourite. But then… I always do, don’t I?!!

Another exciting thing about today is … it’s also the start of SALE-A-BRATION!!!

“THE” best promotion on the Stampin’ Up! calendar!! But I’ll get to that in a minute.

But, if you are like me, and like to look at catalogues 1,000 times, turn your pages upside down, side ways… look up close, far away, then you are going to need a hard copy. Contact me and I’ll post you one. (Australian residents only).

Occasions Catalogue

Oh how exciting, I just love the “thought” of new products, let alone when I get new ones to play with. I love mixing in new toys with my existing collections and this catalogue is just full of new toys for all Occasions too – Birthdays, Easter, Fathers and Mothers day, Love themes – Valentines, Weddings, Engagements; Sympathy, as well as one of my favourites… Babies, and so many more.

Featuring seven new product suites, there are Stamps, Dies, Punches, Designer Paper and loads of embellishments from ribbons and trims to sequins, enamel dots, buttons and more.

Cling Stamps

Some of the most exciting news with this catalogue is the launch of new Cling Stamps. This is a new type of sticker backing that goes on red rubber stamps. The new material used for the sticker images are super sticky and will cling to your acrylic blocks like nothing we’ve seen before. This change has been researched and market tested for some time with positive stamping results and feedback.

So much so, you may also notice as you scroll or flick through the products… there are no Wood Mount stamp sets offered.

The positive feedback on stamping experiences using Cling Stamps, has resulted in a shift away from Wood Mount stamps. This change coming now and carrying through to the next Annual Catalogue. But really…. When was the last time you bought Wood mount anyway? Starting with this catalogue, stamp sets will only be offered in Cling Mount or Photopolymer. This makes stamp set more cost effective and is an environmentally responsible decision. You will want to get your blocks on to these stamps really quick. Check out Stampin’ Up! video here for more information:

The Occasions catalogue will run until May 31st. But as we draw nearer the end of the catalogue, some products may sell out, so keep track of your wish list!

Sale – A – Bration !!! (SAB)

If there is ever a favourite time, it is now … Sale-a-bration time. I love it and I say this every year… it’s the best time to shop, host or join.

So, just incase you are not completely sure what Sale-a-bration is, here is a quick explanation: When you shop for your regular Stampin’ Up! products, you have the chance to earn FREE exclusive SAB products. These are products that will only be offered during the Sale-a-bration promotion time (3 January to 31 March, 2019). The most common way is to shop, but there are some other ways too and I’ll talk about them in a minute…

Shop

There are two levels of SAB products again this year. So as you shop for your regular Stampin’ Up! products, you could earn the following:

Spend $90 and earn one Level 1 SAB item;

Spend $180 and earn one Level 2 (or choose two Level 1) SAB items.

There are no limits to the number of SAB items you can earn.

(If you spend $400 or more in one order… you might want to read the Host part, as you are eligible for these too!)

Host

When you host a workshop during Sale-a-bration, and party sales reach $400 or more, you will receive $40 extra host dollars to spend. Taking your total to a minimum of $80 of FREE products!! That’s a big Yay from me!!

I have party dates available here on my demonstrator website – or call me to discuss a date that works for you. All my Sale-a-bration hosts will receive the a resuable Stampin’ Up! shopping bag with their order, in the latest designs, as a Thank You as well as more. Contact me to book your date today.

Join

It’s always a great time to join Stampin’ Up! … I mean…. wouldn’t you love minimum 20% discount on your Stampin’ Up! products?

Whether you want to join for the discount or if you wanted to turn your hobby into a business, like me, now is a great time to join, here’s why:

We have two options for you during Sale-a-bration time:

Option 1 – Cost: $169

You get:

$315 of Stampin’ Up! products

Business supply pack (valued $80)

That’s an additional $85 value!

Option 2 – Cost: $210

You get:

$315 of Stampin’ Up! products

Business supply pack (valued $80)

Craft & Carry tote (valued $87)

That’s an additional $120 value!

Just check out this gorgeous Craft & Carry Tote…..

The only way to get your hands on this, is to join during Sale-a-bration (by 31 March).

Joining my team is a really good option too – I can provide support both creatively with project ideas, afterall my background is in Graphic Design, and business-wise too, earning an Incentive Trip taught me a lot about building a business. I can share this with you. Last year, I finished 29th out of more than 4,000 demonstrators nationally.

So… want to see what SAB exclusive items are on offer? Check out these links. But don’t forget to check back on February 15 – when we get some more items added to these already amazing products.

It’s almost the new year… just a few more hours to go. To help celebrate the new year, my December classes usually feature a calendar project. I create different designs each year and keep them simple enough that if customers wanted to make several, for gifts say, they are easy enough to create.

This year, we made this one…

I took inspiration from an image I saw that featured a wall hanging. I thought we could hang the calendar in this same way. I like how it turned out and so did my class attendees.

So we created the base by trimming down some Whisper White thick cardstock down to 210mm x 120mm. Then measured and marked 50mm down each side of the long edges. I marked another spot in the middle of the short edge at 60mm. I lined up the marks on my Stampin’ Trimmer and sliced off the corners to leave the triangle shaped top. It kind of looks like a house, doesn’t it?

Using the smallest of the circle punches, I punched a hole in the tip and threaded some of the Braided Linen trim through into a loop. I adhere this in place and used some scrap coordinating Designer Paper to cover the back of the triangle top where the trim poked through and was fixed.

On the front, I used some of the Wood Textures Designer Paper Stack as a backing for my calendar, adding a contemporary feel to the look. I trimmed this to 100mm x 140mm and adhered it straight on to the base.

I created the Calendar layout myself on the computer, so that it was the size I wanted and had the look I wanted too. I trimmed these down to 85mm x 120mm and set about decorating each month in what ever colours and stamps I liked basically. Now I did theme it a little, using the seasons of the year to guide my stamp and colour choices. It’s all flat stamping, I didn’t want any bulk at all, so no punch or die cut elements at all.

Here is how they turned out. I’ve noted the Stamp sets and colours used:

October – STAMPS: Floral Phrases. COLOURS: Grapefruit Grove

Once the stamping was done, I gathered them up in the correct order and clipped them together with a Gold Library Clip and adhered December onto the base to finish off.

I ummed and aahhed about adding a title or larger numbers for the year, but couldn’t decide so left it blank. Less is more as they say and I think this works great as is.

I did make a few and give them away as Christmas gifts. I’ll be handing one for us in the kitchen under the clock and each month I will remove the past one, to reveal the next. A little something to dress up a blank space.

Blank Canvasses are everywhere, they don’t always need to be a cardbase or a 12×12” scrapbook page. While shopping for last minute items for Christmas earlier this month, like bon bons for the table, I found these gorgeous ones and inspiration hit me…

Immediately I thought these would be perfect to dress up with a little stamping and punching. The base colours of the bon bons were perfect for my theme too so I was excited to add a little sparkle to the front.

I kept it simple, as it’s always a busy time of year. Keeping things simple means I still get time to dress things up. I chose the Happy Christmas Wishes stamp from the Flourish Filigree stamp set and some Cherry Cobbler ink. Punching them out using the coordinating Pretty Label punch always makes crafting so much quicker.

Adding some bling with the Sprig Punch and some contrasting Tranquil Tide glimmer paper from the Joyous Noel, I used glue dots to assemble the sprigs to the bottom of my sentiment. Then applied some Tear & Tape to fix onto the bon bon, which held it all together well.

It just added a little some extra to my Christmas table this year which my family noticed and commented on… and then promptly went about cracking them open!

This week we are looking at another favourite… did you hear me cringe from your house? This week at Caseing The Catty, we are choosing our favourite project from the Holiday catalogue.

Thankfully, I’m happy to say this time, it was a little easier to pick a favourite. I’ve cased this card before as I really like the layout. It the Crumb Cake card on the right.

I made a Christmas card using a stamp set from the Annual Catalogue… It’s the Serene Garden stamp set featuring this lovely dove.

Here I have embossed the Dove with Gold embossing powder and then used an empty Wink of Stella brush and some Shimmer paint to colour her. I used Vegas Gold for her body and Champagne for the wings. I just love the way it has turned out, she is so shimmery but you can’t really see that well in the photo. Whilst I made a Christmas card with her today, I think she will look amazing on a Sacrement card also.

Using some of the other stamps in this set, I inked them with Markers to achieve a coloured image. I used Real Red and Shaded Spruce for a Christmas feel.

Layering the main elements over the oval punched shape, I added a few more stamped images of the leaves, a couple in Soft Seafoam to add some colour variation. These were layered over some Designer Paper from the All is Bright pack. The edges are trimmed with some Glimmer paper from the Joyous Noel pack and all this is on a base of thick Very Vanilla cardstock.

Finished off with a simple Merry Christmas sentiment from the Star of Light stamp set. One thing is for sure…. I’ll be making more cards featuring this shimmer painted dove on it again.

After you’ve enjoyed the awesome hop with the team, I’m looking forward to seeing your CASE over in our challenge group. Be sure to load up your creation by 7pm Sunday night, 6th January – that’s two weeks!! Our next blop hop will kick off the next challenge at 8pm that night.

Welcome to another week of hopping along with the Caseing The Catty Crew. This weeks theme is CASEing your favourite bundle.

I have to admit, whenever I hear the words “favourite” and “Stampin’ Up!” used in the same question, I may cringe a little. I mean… how can you choose just one favourite… seriously. Every time I open a catalogue, I’m look at a new favourite…. I have lots of favourites of everything!! Yes… I know… I’m hopeless… LOL!

I cased this card design, from page 10 of the Holiday catalogue, and changed it up slightly with my favourite papers and colours.

I embossed the hanging baubles stamp with Copper embossing powder to match the colour theme in the Joyous Noel suite. I coloured some of the baubles and used dimensionals to pop them out a little more.

Layering this over some Merlot glimmer paper at the bottom and some DSP at the top, I layered this over some DSP with a design that featured mostly Tranquil Tide colouring.

The sentiment is from Star of Light stamp set and I stamped this in Tranquil Tide ink on some Mint Macaron cardstock to coordinate. I twirled some copper thread beneath the sentiment before adhering to my card. And to finish off, I added some of the little green pearls from the Share What You Love Artisan Pearls pack.